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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. track — a path
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bass — low music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. scale — in music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. track — a song
  15. board — to get on
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — to keep track
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com